RecAL Circularity HUB for aluminium recycling technologies
RecAL is a Horizon Europe project aiming to upgrade Europe’s handling of its aluminium supply and metals market place. Via RecAL’s innovative packet of solutions, we can reduce the carbon footprint of aluminium production by enabling the use of secondary resources – and improve the continent’s self-sufficiency along the way.
Financed
Horizon Europe | HADEA
Budget
€ 10.6 million
Start date
01.01.2024
Duration
46 Months
Project details
The challenge
With its numerous applications in a variety of sectors – from transportation to packaging – Aluminium is an indispensable cornerstone of European manufacturing. Additionally, its inherent lightweighting potential makes the metal key to meeting the demands of the European Green Deal in the transportation and construction industries. Light means efficient. Second-life aluminium materials, such as scrap from construction, aviation, automotive, or even used beverage cans, have largely been put to use in the production of combustion engines. Thus, limitations in the recycling potential of aluminium hasn’t been much of an issue thanks to this universal recycling ‘sink’ in the automotive industry A transition to electrified engines however, could see this quickly shift. Only by boosting potential usage of second-life aluminium can this gap be filled and expectations met.
The solution
One of the driving forces behind RecAL is the advancement of a complementary set of up- and recycling technologies inkeeping with circular economy principles. RecAL’s innovations across the aluminium value chain will achieve a variety of goals, such as improvements to the capture, separation, and reuse of aluminium recyclates plus the ongoing development of more sustainable designs. Ultimately, RecAL’s new technologies will be showcased via three linked use-case demonstrations. This action will aim to resemble and quantify the impact on future closed value chains from EoL-procurement to remanufacturing.
The main impacts
By fully enabling circular economy across the supply chain for all sectors using aluminium in Europe, RecAL will be able to improve the EU’s economic competitiveness, not to mention foster resilience & self-reliance with regards to this precious resource. By facilitating the increased usage of secondary resource materials, the RecAL Hub and its enabling CATs will complete the circle and fill in several efficiency gaps for European industry. The project’s newly developed aluminium alloys will mark a new beginning for the metal. As a side-effect, the RecAL Hub will also contribute to FAIR data exchange within the EU (not solely within industry). Cost reductions are ultimately to be expected across the aluminium value chain too, with the recycling industry able to expect savings of at least €170m per year, or ~50x the cost of the RecAL pilot installation. Perhaps most importantly of all however, a reduction in CO2 emissions from primary material production and efficiency gains will contribute to European climate goals.
Acknowledgment
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HADEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Grant agreement ID: 101138747
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